Sometimes Less is More
By Kelli Calabrese MS, CSCS, ACE
Last week we uncovered the facts about reps, sets and rest. This week let's build on those principles and tell you precisely how much you need to exercise to see results. You only need to dedicate about 2–3 percent of your week to physical fitness in order to see transforming results. Your workouts should be brief and intense to be highly effective.
High-intensity strength training (meaning you reach momentary muscular failure with each set) should be done 2–3 times weekly. Those who do total body workouts of high intensity two times weekly see 90 percent of the gains of those who perform 3 sessions a week. So you can decide if you want that extra 10 percent of improvement and the investment of a third session weekly.
Those who do 2 sets see 90 percent of the improvements of those who do 3 sets so the law of diminishing returns applies as you increase in sets and overall time in the gym. More is NOT better. Working out too much will lead to over training and potential injuries and even more importantly, you will not get the results you desire and deserve. The cliché "work smarter and not harder" applies to strength training.
It’s the in between days where the muscles are repairing from the microtrauma caused by strength training, that the growth and improvements take place. If you train on consecutive days, you are not giving the muscles a chance to rebuild. It takes energy for your body to repair the tearing down from strength training. If you are consecutively placing demands on your body, it will not repair completely, you will not feel rested and will not come back as strong for your next session. Over training will cause you to be weaker, not stronger.
Cardiovascular training can be done on the alternating days between your strength training sessions. If you are training for an event or want to increase your calorie burn, you can add an extra session on the weekends. If you push your body too far, it will begin to break down. Picture almost every Olympic athlete competing bandaged up or nursing injuries. They train with such volume that their bodies begin to work against them.
I used to train 7 days a week for many years. I would do cardio every day and strength 5 days. Sometimes two sessions a day if I was teaching classes. I was a maniac if I missed a session. I would get up at 4 a.m. if necessary. If I ever had to miss two consecutive days, you would not have wanted to be in my company. I was aerobically fit and strong, but was chronically exhausted, sore, and never really reached the goals I desired.
After having two children 15 months apart and starting a new company along with building my own house, I was naturally forced into a shorter training schedule. It’s been almost one year of three days a week of strength training and 2–3 sessions of cardio and by far, I’m stronger than ever, more energetic and have lowered my percentage of body fat. I have less back and joint pain and am using the extra time to run after my little ones. So I’m speaking from experience, not just the text books.
If you keep the intensity high, you can keep your workout time to a minimum while maximizing the results and enjoying your free time reaping the benefits of being fit. The recovery and resting process is just as important as training. You have to let your body go through the entire cycle of breakdown and repair to reap the full benefits.